posted on
Last Monday a substantial cross section of the Minneapolis community by geography and ethnicity huddled in the Plymouth Church basement to listen to candidates running for the Minneapolis School Board. (Primaries are tomorrow. Please remember to vote!) While many attendees lauded this turnout as uncharacteristic, perhaps it’s fitting given Beth Hawkins’ recent piece on the Minneapolis board elections going back to the people.
The candidates answered a range of questions, such as “What would you do to close the achievement gap?,” “Do you support the district conducting equity impact studies when decisions are made?” and “What kind of role do you think teacher and principal contracts play in the recruitment of high-quality candidates?” It was an exciting opportunity to hear candidates’ opinions on difficult challenges and opportunities facing Minneapolis School District.
MinnCAN is proud to have joined The League of Women Voters of Minneapolis, the Committee on the Achievement Gap, African American Leadership Forum, Education Equity Organizing Collaborative, Empowering Educators for Equity and AchieveMpls in co-hosting the forum. It’s through dialogs like this that community members have the opportunity to know their candidates. This is where the process of holding our elected officials accountable begins, by becoming educated and participating. Thank you to everyone who attended.
Please remember that the state primary election is Tuesday, August 14, 2012. Most polls are open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. For information about your poling location check the Secretary of State website. Your vote matters!
For more information on the Minneapolis school board candidates, visit the following websites:
At Large Candidates:
Carla Bates
Willis G. Trueblood (no website available)
Doug Mann
Janice Mae Harmon (no website available)
District 6 Candidate:
Tracine Asberry
District 2 Candidate:
Kim Ellison (no website available)
District 4 Candidates:
Josh Reimnitz
William Lange
Patty Wycoff